Beyond Efficiency: How Generative AI from Laserfiche Unlocks Strategic Value for the Public Sector

In recent months, the conversation around generative AI (Gen AI) has moved beyond productivity and hype. While early use cases in the public sector focused on time-saving and process efficiency, the broader narrative is evolving toward the transformational potential of AI to unlock insights, improve public services, and anticipate citizen needs. As public sector leaders confront rising service expectations, tight budgets, and growing data complexity, the strategic deployment of Gen AI particularly through enterprise content management (ECM) and process automation presents a powerful path forward.

Laserfiche is at the forefront of this evolution. By embedding Gen AI capabilities such as Smart Fields into our platform, we enable agencies, municipalities, and educational institutions to move beyond automating tasks and begin unlocking institutional knowledge at scale. This article explores the forces shaping Gen AI adoption in the public sector and the unique value Laserfiche brings to this new chapter.

Technological Innovation: From Automation to Insight

Across the public sector, Gen AI is transitioning from a tactical tool to a strategic enabler. Initial use cases centered on automating repetitive work summarizing documents, generating email drafts, or assisting with data entry. But the technology’s next wave is defined by its ability to reveal patterns, surface actionable insights, and synthesize complex information across siloed systems.

Laserfiche’s Smart Fields exemplify this shift. By using AI to detect and understand content in real time, Smart Fields reduce manual data tagging and improve metadata accuracy. This goes far beyond convenience. It allows public sector organizations to create more intelligent content repositories, where relevant information is surfaced proactively and used to inform decisions from public health trends to policy implementation to citizen engagement strategies.

Moreover, the Laserfiche platform integrates Gen AI into core business processes, enabling more responsive workflows. For instance, natural language processing (NLP) capabilities can be used to classify incoming service requests, assign priority based on urgency, and trigger automated routing ensuring faster and more consistent delivery of services.

Changing Customer Behavior: From Task Automation to Data Stewardship

To fully realize the benefits of Gen AI, public sector organizations must rethink how they manage data and measure outcomes. The old model of digitizing for the sake of efficiency is giving way to a new imperative: leveraging digital assets for continuous learning and improvement.

This shift demands a cultural change. Agencies need to embrace their role as stewards of public data not just curators of records but strategic users of information to drive policy and operational excellence. In this context, Laserfiche acts as a connective tissue between structured processes and unstructured data, enabling agencies to treat every document, form, or communication as a potential source of insight.

Equally important is the need for responsible innovation. Citizens and students expect transparency in how AI is used, especially in areas like eligibility determination, grading, or benefits administration. Public sector leaders must pair Gen AI adoption with robust governance, including audit trails, consent tracking, and AI explainability features. Laserfiche’s commitment to compliance and transparency ensures that agencies can adopt AI with confidence.

Navigating Regulatory Change: Building Trust and Alignment

Governments around the world are moving quickly to regulate AI, with a growing emphasis on fairness, accountability, and data protection. In the United States, executive orders and state-level legislation are beginning to shape expectations for the use of AI in public services. The European Union’s AI Act, although not directly binding on U.S. institutions, is setting the tone globally by categorizing AI use cases by risk and imposing strict obligations for public sector applications.

Laserfiche is designed with these realities in mind. Our platform includes role-based access controls, automated retention policies, and end-to-end encryption to help organizations align with privacy and data management requirements. More critically, the platform’s explainable AI capabilities provide clarity into how decisions are made an essential safeguard in regulated environments.

As regulations mature, public sector leaders will need technology partners that offer more than just AI features. They will need systems that are auditable, secure, and aligned with emerging compliance frameworks.

Growth Opportunities: Serving Citizens and Students More Intelligently

The greatest untapped opportunity for Gen AI in the public sector lies in its potential to personalize and improve the citizen and student experience. Today’s constituants expect the same responsiveness from government that they receive from the private sector yet many agencies are hampered by legacy systems and data silos.

With Laserfiche, organizations can unify disparate data sources and automate multi-step interactions, allowing for intelligent service delivery. Imagine a student applying for financial aid who is guided through the process via an AI assistant that understands eligibility rules, validates documentation in real time, and tracks application status all integrated with a secure ECM backbone. Or a constituent filing a complaint about street repairs who receives proactive updates based on workflow progress, without ever needing to make a follow-up call.

These scenarios are not science fiction. They are being implemented today by forward-looking agencies using Laserfiche to reimagine how the government and education serves its stakeholders.

Conclusion: The Strategic Role of Gen AI in Public Service

As the Wired article suggests, the real value of Gen AI is not just in how fast it operates but in how deeply it can transform how organizations think and act. For the public sector, this means using AI not simply to accelerate processes, but to deliver on the promise of better governance, equity, and trust.

Laserfiche’s AI-powered platform, including capabilities like Smart Fields, helps agencies shift from reacting to anticipating, from managing data to unlocking insight, and from compliance to transformation. For leaders seeking to modernize operations, improve service delivery, and embrace the future of digital governance, the time to act is now.

The opportunity is no longer just to do more with less. It is to do better with more, more intelligence, more context, and more strategic value from every interaction.

See More on how Laserfiche is unlocking a new era in productivity and insight.

A New Era of Productivity with Smart Fields and Smart Chat

Use natural language to get the data you need, no coding required. Smart Fields and Smart Chat — two new powerful Laserfiche AI capabilities — are now available on Laserfiche Cloud.

Smart Fields revolutionizes document processing by using natural language descriptions to intelligently extract information, regardless of the document’s source or format. Smart Fields can be reused across diverse document types, enabling creative, custom solutions that can scale effectively, all while minimizing maintenance and setup costs. You can now apply Smart Fields to your most frequently used document types including:
  • Financial Services: Streamline the processing of purchase orders and invoices by automatically capturing line-item details and multi-value fields such as amounts, dates, and vendors.
  • Human Resources: Simplify onboarding and support employee development by extracting key information like employee IDs, job titles, and hire dates from employment contracts or performance reviews.
  • Information Technology: Enhance security management and accelerate incident response by automatically recording change logs and access permissions.
  • Legal: Improve contract management by identifying contract types, calculating expiration dates, and automatically scheduling contract renegotiation reminders.

Alongside Smart Fields, we’re also excited to introduce Smart Chat, a feature that fundamentally changes how our customers interact with their documents. Information and insights can now be delivered directly through conversation using Smart Chat’s intuitive interface that delivers instant, tailored responses to user queries. By using natural language, you can ask questions aboutdocuments and receive concise answers, complete with reference links.

Smart Chat empowers Laserfiche users to engage in insightful conversations with their documents, opening up new possibilities across various industries:
  • Education: Enhance access to specific student records, faculty information, and administrative documents.
  • Financial Services: Improve risk mitigation through the analysis of regulatory documents and internal policies.
  • Government: Optimize the retrieval of crucial information within public records or legal documents.
  • Healthcare: Facilitate more personalized health information and support.
  • Manufacturing: Quickly locate essential details regarding suppliers, parts, or logistical data.

Smart Chat can also access all Laserfiche support documentation, allowing admins and users to receive support without having to leave their current workspace. 

Experience a new level of efficiency and insight in how you work with your documents. If you are a self-hosted customer, Smart Fields will be available this fall with a Laserfiche 12 Subscription license. If you’re interested in learning more and booking a demo, visit laserfiche.com/ai

Overview of Laserfiche Records Management

Overview of Laserfiche Records Management

White Paper: Connect the Dots and Unlock the Power of Data in Insurance

The Intelligent Document Processing Playbook

According to CIO Dive, employees can spend up to eight hours a day finding data. In addition to losing work hours, issues with locating data can lead to errors in business operations and a poor experience for customers.

In this playbook, you’ll discover specific areas where intelligent document processing (IDP) can help your organization address these kinds of business challenges, giving back time to your employees to do high-value work.

What Is Intelligent Document Processing?

IDP is the process of extracting data from an image or document and formatting it in a way to be used in a process or system.

With AI, organizations can extract data through a simple, prompt-based approach — asking to retrieve data such as invoice numbers, contract signatories or a student’s GPA across thousands of documents.

In other words, with IDP, you’re using software to read something for you and get the key points, so you can use the data to inform a business decision or automate a process. If you leave this kind of task to human workers, there can be delays (most computers work faster than people) or errors (even the most detail-oriented humans make mistakes).

Intelligent Document Processing Speeds Up Departments

When it’s easier to access, organize and process your documents and data, departments benefit. Read on to learn how IDP can be a boon for teams throughout your organization.

Finance & Accounting

Using IDP can help your Finance or Accounting department maintain the speed and accuracy it needs to be an effective steward of finances.
  • Process invoices effectively
    • Automate data extraction to make content searchable (by vendor name, date, etc.).
    • Speed up payment cycles by automatically routing invoices for review, approval and signature.
  • Match purchase orders fast
    • Use automation to match PO data, requiring only a simple approval to move forward.
  • Expedite expense reports
    • Get employees reimbursed on a faster timeline with digital forms and automated form routing to stakeholders.

Human Resources

IDP enables your HR department to spend more time on its employees and less time reviewing and processing forms.
  • Onboard employees faster
    • Make it easy for employees to fill out their paperwork online and for employers to approve it with automated document routing.
  • Streamline benefits enrollment
    • Gather employee benefits preferences with ease using online forms, and ensure this information is kept safe using records management tools.

Read Our eBook To Learn More

Want to learn more about the benefits of implementing IDP at your organization? Download our full eBook, “The Intelligent Document Processing Playbook” here.

The K-12 Leaders Forum

The K-12 Leaders Forum

eBook: The Intelligent Document Processing Playbook

Content Management is Critical for Web Accessibility

By Andy MacIsaac

Addressing A Priority for Higher Education

A recent Chronicle of Higher Education article highlights a major challenge for colleges and universities. They must update millions of web pages and digital assets to meet new accessibility rules. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has updated Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These changes set clear rules for web content. Public colleges and universities must now act to make their digital platforms accessible to everyone.

As the Chronicle states, “Colleges must update existing digital content, including course materials, to meet these standards. They must also follow these standards for any new content they create or use.”

Many schools use a decentralized system for content creation. Websites, learning platforms, and marketing teams all produce content separately. Now, they must change their approach. Schools need to shift from fixing issues when they arise to making content accessible from the start.

Understanding the Challenge

Colleges and universities create a vast amount of digital content. Many struggle to track:
  • The number of web pages they have.
  • Who creates and manages content.
  • How accessible their content is for people with disabilities.

The new rules require a structured approach. Schools must improve content management, workflows, and compliance tracking. This is a big change for institutions that have operated without central control.

Steps to Improve Web Accessibility with Content Management

To meet these requirements, colleges and universities should use better document, content, and process management systems. Here’s a simple plan to get started:

1. Centralize Accessibility Resources in Managed Repository
  • Audit Documentation: Store accessibility guidelines, reports, and WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) standards in one place.
  • Version Control: Keep track of content updates to avoid confusion.
  • Training Hub: Provide tutorials and best practices to help faculty and staff create accessible content.

2. Automate Workflows
  • Task Management: Assign and track responsibilities for reviewing and updating digital content.
  • Approval Process: Ensure all new content meets accessibility standards before publishing.

3. Improve Collaboration and Tracking
  • Real-Time Monitoring: Use collaboration tools to track progress on accessibility work.
  • Team Coordination: Connect content creators, web developers, designers, and accessibility experts.
  • User Feedback: Gather input from students, faculty, and staff with disabilities to find and fix accessibility issues.
  • Issue Tracking: Create a system for reporting and solving accessibility problems.

4. Monitor Compliance
  • Audit Trails: Keep records of content edits to show compliance.
  • Reporting Tools: Generate reports to track progress and identify areas needing improvement.

5. Integrate with Existing Systems
  • CMS Integration: Make sure accessibility tools work with the school’s content management system (CMS).
  • IT Compatibility: Connect new tools with existing IT systems to simplify management.

6. Make Accessibility Easy for Everyone
  • User-Friendly Tools: Choose simple, intuitive tools so faculty, staff, and students can easily follow accessibility guidelines.

The Future of Accessibility in Higher Education

The DOJ’s new rules are a turning point. Schools must see accessibility as more than a legal requirement. It is an essential part of creating an inclusive learning environment. By improving content management, automating workflows, and encouraging teamwork, colleges and universities can:
  • Reduce the risk of legal issues.
  • Improve digital experiences for everyone.
  • Create an inclusive space for students, faculty, and staff.

This challenge is also an opportunity. Schools that act now will build a strong, accessible digital system for the future and improve engagement for all.

Accessibility is not just a rule—it is a responsibility. By focusing on inclusive design and content management, colleges and universities can lead the way in providing equal access to education in the digital age.

How Laserfiche Can Help

Laserfiche provides a comprehensive solution for colleges and universities tackling web accessibility challenges. With powerful document management, workflow automation, and compliance tracking, Laserfiche helps institutions:
  • Centralize and manage digital content efficiently.
  • Automate workflows to ensure accessibility compliance.
  • Improve collaboration across departments.
  • Maintain clear audit trails for accountability.

By leveraging Laserfiche, institutions can transform their approach to digital accessibility, ensuring compliance while creating a more inclusive and equitable learning environment.

Get started today and build a stronger, more accessible digital experience with Laserfiche.

Download our eBook: Guide to Creating a Fully Integrated Digital Campus

Implementing Integrations Across Your Systems

How Financial Services Firms Can Address DORA Requirements

In the past two decades, nearly one-fifth of reported cyber incidents have affected the global financial sector, causing $12 billion in direct losses to financial firms. The European Union has taken decisive action to bring these figures down, focusing efforts on greater data transparency and imposing stringent regulations for the financial services sector. With the Digital Operational Resilience Act, or DORA, businesses are now legally obligated to prioritise transparency. However, many organisations may not have the systems or processes in place to address this new regulation, or don’t know where to start.

Let’s dive into what this regulation means for the financial sector, how to overcome hurdles to provide higher levels of transparency and delve into the solution to support compliance – record management and digitisation.

What is DORA? And why should I care?

In short, DORA is an EU regulation that requires businesses to effectively manage ICT third-party risks and provide regulators with a log of cyber incidents.

The regulation is specific to the financial services sector and aims to strengthen the IT security of entities such as banks, insurance companies, and investment firms to ensure that the financial sector in Europe can stay resilient in the event of a severe operational disruption. Due to the amount of sensitive and confidential data financial organizations hold on their systems, the ramifications of a data breach are severe. This regulation serves as an extra layer of protection for customers and businesses alike.

What does DORA mean for financial businesses?

Under DORA regulation, businesses need to be able to:
  • Monitor third-party risk providers
  • Effectively share information and intelligence on cyber threats
  • Report major IT-related incidents to authorities
  • Ensure contractual provisions for third-party risk providers

With organisations built on a foundation of customer and corporate trust, failure to meet this new regulation could cause damage to reputation as well as the risk of fines. Disorganised data and siloed records put institutions at operational and regulatory risk when the next audit comes around, and the only way to meet DORA demands is to provide full transparency.

What roadblocks to compliance do financial organisations need to look out for in their current setup? Record-handling presents a significant reporting and compliance challenge for businesses under DORA. Meeting these new standards means overcoming the following hurdles:

Reliance on legacy processes and systems: Many businesses are still using single-point solutions dedicated to specific tasks, meaning that data is often siloed, dispersed across a myriad of different systems. True digitisation means not only digitising information, but making storage and processes simpler, centralised, and transparent – and this is the only way to help support regulation.

Long and complicated data retrieval: Retrieving up-to-date and consistent information across systems is a challenge, resulting in wasted time and data inaccuracies.

Balancing data security and accessibility: Every customer account includes a substantial amount of sensitive data and information. Many institutions struggle to optimise compliance costs and address regulations while maintaining a level of data accessibility and security.

Manual processes for staff: Although digitised data has, for the most part, replaced paper documentation, old disorganisation habits have transferred to the digital realm. Often, employees must manually manage large volumes of data – a complex and tedious task that can bog down staff and take away time that could be dedicated to more value-add activities.

How can financial businesses overcome these obstacles and achieve true transparency?

The answer is a fully-connected, digitalised, and centralised document management system.

Organisations need to ensure that all relevant information across business-critical systems can be accessed from a secure location. Easy search and retrieval of updated and accurate content is key. By integrating this single source of truth with, CRM, ERP, and tax planning and compliance systems, financial data can be synchronised for enhanced accuracy and consistency. Resulting reports and documentation are critical to DORA compliance. Organisations can also manage sensitive data and eliminate gaps and siloes in legacy infrastructure, improving security efforts and reducing risk of future cyber-attacks.

Record management systems can also prove vital to simplifying compliance processes with features such as:
  • Audit trails
  • Version control
  • Tagging
  • Document history
  • System activity

Additionally, teams can easily set up a view-only repository for tax authorities and DORA regulators to process audits or compliance checks. Without these technologies, back-office employees must deal with the manual collection, retention and disposal of customer data to address the regulation. 

With greater data transparency and effective digitization of back-office processes, institutions can address emerging compliance requirements as and when they occur. This level of flexibility is the only way that organizations will be able to achieve total transparency in the long term, and observe DORA’s regulatory requirements.

Address DORA requirements with Laserfiche’s robust records management tools.